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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27202820">This Will Get Better</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffybunnybadass/pseuds/fluffybunnybadass'>fluffybunnybadass</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword &amp; Shield | Pokemon Sword &amp; Shield Versions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Galar-chihou | Galar Region (Pokemon), Gen, I'm Bad At Titles, Pokemon Sword &amp; Shield Expansion Pass: The Isle of Armor, Self-Insert, Selfship, Yoroi Shima | Isle of Armor (Pokemon), comes from a song that's thematically relevant, fic as therapy, first time posting so let me know if it needs adjustments, or self-insert might technically be more correct, this is a selfship fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:53:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,694</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27202820</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffybunnybadass/pseuds/fluffybunnybadass</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Self-insert, multi-chapter fic that is a retelling of the Pokemon swsh DLC Isle of Armor. It's about growth and maybe a little bit about recovery, and it's completely self-indulgent, but mostly it's just sudden inspiration from having played that and wanting to retell the DLC story from what I would have experienced.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>self / Champion Lance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Arrival on the Isle of Armor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>-This is my first chaptered story in a long, long time. I've had bad experience with finishing them, but I've already got this fairly mapped out, so I'm feeling pretty hopeful. I'm also not too familiar with ao3, as I never used the website until recently. So if I seem to be tagging something weird or off, feel free to let me know!<br/>-I fluctuate between they/them pronouns, so any third-person references to me might seem inconsistent as a result of that. Trust me, it's not.<br/></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a long day full of travel. Our first stop had been our arrival at Wyndon in the Galar region late last night. We stayed at one of its hotels, The Rose of the Rondelands. We took the train the next morning down to the coastal town of Hulbury. A fresh sea breeze had greeted us when we stepped off to stretch our legs, taking the time between our train and our Corviknight Taxi to sight-see for a bit. Walking around for the first time that day felt nice, and my Pikachu was the most excited to run around for a bit, after being stuck in the train for a few hours. When I saw the boats at the dock, I couldn't help but wonder why there were none available to the Isle of Armor. I asked our driver about it, and he shook his head, laughing softly. Apparently it was much faster to fly by taxi.</p><p>That said, it was somewhat cramped inside the Corviknight Taxi. Although it was only me, my Pikachu, my husband, and our travel bags, I couldn't help but feel like we needed to squeeze in. It made me glad that we had our luggage sent ahead of us at my husband's suggestion. Not being able to keep an eye on our stuff made me antsy; I hadn't done that before, but my husband had given my hand a gentle squeeze and told me that our bags would be okay.</p><p>I looked at him now, his elbow propped up on the windowsill of the taxi, as he gazed out on the sea. My husband had left his more well-known Champion outfit in the luggage that we had sent along, instead choosing to dress more casually on our trip. A red jacket covered a black shirt, the emblem of the Dragon Clan partially etched out in blue lines; black jeans were tucked into dark red boots. He kept on a navy blue cape, which was fastened across his chest.</p><p>On the seat opposite us sat our bags. He had brought with him a simple black bag, while I used my purple itabag, the weight of the pins causing the front flap to be top heavy. Every so often the bag would rustle from the flight across the sea, air currents causing it to nearly capsize once the flap with the pins had gotten too close to the edge; I'd quickly lunge for it and put the pin side close to the back of the seat once again, only for it to rustle more during the flight.</p><p>My Pikachu slept on the seat across from us, curled up and snoozing from the long trip. Every so often, she would wake up and look out the window, in awe and excitement with us, before getting antsy that she couldn't run around yet. But since Pika preferred being out and about as opposed to staying inside her Pokeball, wanting to see everything, there wasn't much I could do about it.</p><p>“We're almost there,” shouted the driver over the wind. Lance and I looked over our respective windows, soft gasps as we looked down at the Isle.</p><p>“Look! I think those are Slowpoke down there on the beach!” I exclaimed, pointing a finger at the Slowpokes with yellow markings on their head and tail. “And that Pokemon there-- I'm not sure what that is from here,” I said, looking at a blue and purple spec from the air. I'm sure I had seen it somewhere before, although I certainly hadn't caught one yet... It bugged me. I racked my brain until my husband distracted me, by pointing out the school of Wailmer and Wailord in the distance on his side of the Corviknight Taxi.</p><p>The taxi slowly landed behind a brick station, and the driver stepped down, patting his Corviknight as it stretched its wings. It didn't show any signs of exhaustion as it began to preen itself.</p><p>“Great flight there, buddy!”</p><p>The driver came around to open the cab door for us. Pika's ears twitched as she heard the door open, and she let out a yawn, stretching and shaking herself as my husband and I grabbed our bags, disembarking.</p><p>“Welcome to the Isle of Armor, guys! Let the station clerk know when you want a ride back to mainland.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>We exited the doorway out of the station that had bright light filtering in. The first thing to greet us was the sight of the beach, upon which Galarian Slowpoke loafed about, Kingler and Krabby scuttled about, and various other Pokemon meandered about, playing or combing the beach for food. We could see a large Wailord in the distance, much larger than the ones in the pod we saw on our way in. Other Pokemon swam through the waters, and I took a few steps forward, looking with awe at the beautiful blue waters. While I hadn't particularly enjoyed how much time I spent on the water during my travels in Hoenn when I was young, I wouldn't've minded touring the sea around this island. At least for one day. While we were still up in the sky, I noticed so many small little sandbars and mini islands dotting the sea around the island. Even if there was nothing on them, I found myself wanting to go out and look at each one anyways.</p><p>Something glinted in the nearby sand, and Pika ran to fish it out, bringing back between her teeth what looked like a pretty twig from some local tree.</p><p>“Aww, thank you!” I knelt down to pat my Pikachu on the head, taking the twig from her. She smiled at me, nudging her head against my hand before I picked her up.</p><p>“Okay. Do you know where we're supposed to go?”</p><p>I turned around, fighting the itch to explore the island and our immediate area right away. It looked so amazing from the air, in a way that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I had read online about other trainers who went to the Isle of Armor for training, seeing photos of their finds and experiences, and laughing at the video that someone had taken of their friend being chased by Sharpedo on the sea. It turned out that was quite a common occurrence and --<em>Oh!</em> <em>Maybe that was why there were no boats or docks nearby</em>? I took a quick look up and down the island's coast, confirming that there were indeed no places where boats were expected to dock. What a shame; it would've taken longer, but the trip itself would have been less... compact.</p><p>But the beach itself was lovely enough and inviting, and wherever I turned, there was so much more to look at! There was a tree that held a variety of berries and apricorns, the latter of which I had only seen grow in our home regions of Johto and Kanto. Large rocks, maybe boulders, blocked off some of the sights, but I could make out some of the wild Pokemon and their nests, clearings where some of them were playing right now! I smiled at the sight of how content the Pokemon in the grassier side of the Isle looked. There was a faint jingling in the air, a noise that I hadn't heard in some years. A Klefki, maybe?</p><p>The sound of my husband's voice broke me from my distractions.</p><p>“We were supposed to have someone meet us here, right?” He pulled back his sleeve to look at his watch. “We didn't get the time wrong, did we?”</p><p>“I don't think so. Maybe we should walk around for a bit? We might run into someone.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>We hadn't made it very far on the island when some wild Pokemon ran up to us. Some of them bounced their way over, while others floated. They made sure that we saw them, as they loudly greeted us and spun about, like they were the Isle's welcoming committee. They made their way over with such incredible haste, that I felt they were just as excited to see me as I was them. More of them had turned to look at us from where they were, curious as to what all the noise was about. Several others had joined once they heard the parade, twirling about when they came closer.</p><p>“Ahhh!!” I gasped at the cuteness of it all, the Jigglypuff and Buneary calling out to us, their trills so friendly and welcoming. Several of them had come within arm's reach to meet me, spinning and dancing as they did. It was so inviting, that I found myself squealing, unable to find any immunity against their charms. “Honey, look!! They're so cute!!! I think they're greeting us!” I giggled.</p><p>I bounced in place, trying to hold back from running into the whole group. But the adorable Pokemon pulled at my heartstrings, and I found myself hastily joining the rest of them that were seated at the foot of a low-growing tree. Pika jumped off my shoulder to greet them. She offered a paw for a handshake. A few Buneary looked at it curiously, before taking it and shaking it with as much enthusiasm as Pika gave them. Several of the other Pokemon looked up at me, cheerful smiles as they jumped up in excitement at the new human frolicking with them. More Pokemon came out from the grass. There was only the two species that I could see at the moment, but it didn't lower my happiness at all. I turned around to look at my husband, heart overjoyed at the unexpected experience.</p><p>“I live here now,” I deadpanned, though the grinning expression on my face conveyed anything but seriousness. My husband only shook his head at me, a bemused smile on his face.</p><p>It felt so unreal, being surrounded by so many wild Pokemon; though at this point I half wondered if they actually <em>were </em>wild.</p><p>“They sure are friendly,” he told me. Lance had managed to come a bit closer to where I was, the nearby Pokemon looking curiously at the caped human. Though these were wild Pokemon that had thrown caution to the wind when they saw me, they did watch him a bit curiously, opening a path so he could come closer. I couldn't help but muse to myself about how easily he could win over a Pokemon's respect sometimes. Or maybe I was just having silly thoughts at the moment, still in a tizzy over how the wild(?) Pokemon were so friendly.</p><p>A Buneary gently tugged on Lance's pant leg. He crouched down to pet it next to the ears. It closed its eyes and gave in to the pets, eliciting a happy squeal of sorts. Three Jigglypuff had overheard the Buneary, and they turned around to look at Lance curiously; I half wondered if the partial-fairy types could sense his Dragon-types. It didn't take long before they all came towards him, nearly surrounding him. One floated itself up to his face, and it was almost hilarious to watch as it stared him in the eyes.</p><p>I walked over to it, poking it gently in the cheek.</p><p>“Hey, be nice. Don't go stealing my husband from me.”</p><p>The Jigglypuff turned to me and huffed, floating back down to the ground and turning away from us. We broke out into laughter at its reaction. I continued to talk and play with the local wild Pokemon for some time more, playing whatever games they taught me, before my husband interrupted the contented time I had spent with the Jigglypuffs and Bunearys.</p><p>“Hey, do you remember why we're here again?” He teased, coming over to crouch next to me as I played a game of hot hands with a Buneary. The other Pokemon were watching, curious about this match between human and Pokemon.</p><p>“Hmm?” I quickly tapped the back of the Buneary's paws, and it huffed, but continued to hold until it could catch me right back. “To train?”</p><p>“That's right. Don't you think we should get going soon? It's been a half hour.”</p><p>“What?!” I gasped, turning towards Lance. I felt paws rapt against my knuckles, the Buneary using the moment to take advantage of my shock. I returned my attention to the game, pursing my lips as I thought. “Okay, well... I don't need that anymore. I have my own little bliss right here; let me know how it goes,” I said, as nonchalantly as I could.</p><p>“Honey...” he began, and I winced, torn at the thought of leaving the playful and friendly Pokemon behind.</p><p>“<em>Fiiiiine</em>, fine. I know.” I stood up, the Pokemon moving back so I had more room. I looked down at them, a slightly exaggerated, sad expression on my face as I addressed them. “I'm sorry little friends; I got to go. But I'm sure I'll see some of you again! We're going to go train at the Dojo that's here!” I looked around; I thought someone would have found us by now, but no one had come along in the time that we had been here. “Do you guys happen to know where it is?” Several heads shook. “That's fine then. I'll make sure that I come by and play sometime, I promise!”</p><p>Dusting off my clothes, I took my bag from my husband. My Pikachu gave a tearful goodbye to the Pokemon she had been playing with; she waved at them from my shoulder. Taking my husband's hand, we walked away.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>“Ah, how far do you think the dojo is from here?”</p><p>“You know... I'm starting to wonder if I was supposed to call when we got here. But I think I left the number in my suitcase that we sent ahead...” I laughed nervously. I had brought a notebook with some useful information in it, but I didn't have the foresight to think to transfer it to my travel bag when I packed it. Woops.</p><p>Lance gave me an exasperated look. “Seriously?”</p><p>“W-well--” I began, stumbling around for an excuse. But there wasn't any, humorous or legitimate, that I could come up with on the fly. I slumped my shoulders. “Sorry. I incorrectly assumed that someone was gonna meet us here, or that it was gonna be easily visible from where we were landing.” Though perhaps that was on me, for not looking for any buildings when we arrived. “I wasn't expecting--” I gestured at the general lack of buildings, the expanse of nature, on the island, “--all this.”</p><p>As I turned around in my gesticulating, I noticed that two Pokemon were following behind us. I stopped, my husband's hand unintentionally getting tugged.</p><p>“What's up?” he asked, turning around to look at me. His eyes following where I was looking, to a Jigglypuff and Buneary that had kept along our trail. When we both looked at them, they pretended to look elsewhere, like they had been looking for something. A nearby fruit tree seemed to be their saving grace, or so they thought. Jigglypuff gave out a little “Puff!” and pointed, and the Buneary followed its lead. They both ran over, glancing in our direction as they did to see if we had stopped looking at them.</p><p>“Are... are they following us?” I asked, looking at my husband.</p><p>“I think they are.”</p><p>Pika tilted her head, looking at the two. She jumped down from my shoulder, running over to talk with them while we humans looked on with bemusement and confusion. I watched as she ran up the tree, shaking loose some apricorns and berries. I gave my husband a hopeful smile, pleading at him with sparkling eyes. “What if-- What if I took them with me to the Dojo and trained with them?”</p><p>Lance gave a heavy sigh. There weren't many points of contention in our relationship, but the large amount of Pokemon I caught sure was. I <em>liked </em>catching a lot of Pokemon; the idea ingrained in my youth of completing a Pokedex had not gone away entirely, even at my age; and then when it came to some of my favorite Pokemon, it was difficult to <em>not</em> want to befriend or catch every single one of them. But Lance, on the other hand, preferred to keep to the few Pokemon that he had. He was a type specialist, after all, but there was more to it than that. He felt that if you had as many Pokemon as I did (and if my Pokedex was anything to go by, it was well over a few hundred), it left you with less time to bond and train with them. And he was right-- I couldn't deny him that. But I found so much potential with each Pokemon that I came across; so many opportunities for us to bond, that I couldn't find a single Pokemon that I didn't like the company of.</p><p>We had eventually come to the point of “agree to disagree” when it came to my catching habits.</p><p>That sigh was reflective of the countless times we had this discussion, the arguments, and how he hoped that we didn't need to start off our sort of-vacation with it. But I pressed on, feeling that there could be a bit of a give, given that the Pokemon were choosing to follow us anyways.</p><p>“Look, if they wanna come with me, then wouldn't it be rude if I declined them their wishes? They'll probably follow us to the Dojo anyways if we ignored them. It might be easier to just catch and train with them. Besides! I'm sure Professor Oak would love to learn more about the differences in Galarian Pokemon as opposed to their other regional variances! Even if they're minute, unlike the ones with completely different appearances, types, and evolutions, like with Alolan Vulpix and Meowth!” I nodded, satisfied with my arguments. Ultimately, I didn't need his permission, and we were both in agreement on that point no matter how many times the topic came up. But to catch Pokemon I already had raised a handful of, well more than he had, and more than I could theoretically train with instead, was sure to catch a bad wind regardless.</p><p>Lance was silent. His eyes flickered between me and the Pokemon in question, who were sharing food with Pika. They didn't seem to notice that the two humans they were following were having a... conversation about the two of them. Then he let out another sigh, shoulders dropping as he decided to let go of this argument. He ran a hand through his red hair as he considered what to say next, and I smiled.</p><p>“...You know, you don't have to say <em>all</em> of that. You don't have to justify your decisions to me when it comes to choosing the Pokemon that you want to raise.”</p><p>“I know,” I pouted, quickly whirling away to the direction of the two Pokemon that had followed us. “But I don't want it to become an issue if I did!”</p><p>I called out to all three Pokemon, waving them over. Pika happily raced over, while the other two looked at each other before cautiously coming forward. Maybe they wondered if they had been caught in the act. (They had.) I knelt down when the two stood in front of me, smiling.</p><p>“How would you two like to come with us to the Dojo? I could use some friends from here while we train and learn from the same Master that taught the current Galarian Champion!” The two Pokemon wouldn't have any idea of who that was, but it felt right sharing that. Maybe it'd make it sound more impressive to them, though how much they knew about things like championships and training, I didn't know. I'm sure it didn't matter to them anyways. “You two can join me, if you'd like!”</p><p>Once more, the two looked at each other, seemingly discussing it amongst themselves in near-silence. It didn't take long for them to make a decision, however. They turned towards me, smiling and giving me cheerful cries.</p><p>“Puff!”</p><p>“Buuun!”</p><p>The two Pokemon spun around happily.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Getting to the dojo is hard if you didn't save the number of the person you're staying with first. Thankfully, Ms. Honey gets ahold of them and helps direct them to the dojo.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>My phone suddenly began to ring. I pulled it out, looking at the screen. I didn't recognize the number, but I answered anyways.</p><p>“Hello?”</p><p>“Oh, thank goodness! Where are you two? It seems there was a miscommunication somewhere, and I wasn't aware that you two would be arriving today. I do apologize for it, but I'm out here right now, looking for you two. Are you still by the station?”</p><p>I cast confused looks at my husband, even though he couldn't hear the other side of the conversation. He gave me a look of concern in turn. I looked around quickly, trying to see if there was anyone nearby, but we were just as alone as when we stepped out from the station.</p><p>“I'm sorry, but who is this?”</p><p>“Oh! I'm so sorry, I forgot to say who this is! It's Honey. I think I spoke with you and your husband when we issued an invite to your League about your current trip here?” I nodded, forgetting for a second that we weren't on a videophone, and quickly made a 'mhmm' of agreement. She spoke with such an genuinely apologetic and rushed tone, I started to feel bad for not having the foresight to save her number into my phone. “Right. So, could you please let me know where you guys are at? I have my Togekiss scanning the skies for you two!”</p><p>“Uhh...” I looked around, at the coast, the rocks, the trees, and my two new Pokemon that were following behind us. “We're by a large boulder? There's a fruit tree nearby, and a lot of Jigglypuff and Buneary.” I didn't know if they had a specific habitat that could narrow down Honey's search for us, or if they were everywhere on the island, but it didn't hurt to include that tidbit.</p><p>“Okay. Can you see a bridge?”</p><p>“Uhh...” I kept walking around the giant rock, and under the berry tree that my Pokemon had previously been at before the Jigglypuff and Buneary agreed to join my team. In the distance, I could faintly make out what could have been a bridge. “I think so?”</p><p>“Great! I'll send Togekiss along to guide you two. Togekiss, could you be a dear--” Her voice trailed off as she, I presume, moved her phone away. Her voice was quickly audible once again. “Okay, keep an eye out for her, and I'll see you soon!” Without any hesitation, the line went dead, and I stared at the <em>Call Ended</em> screen on my phone.</p><p>“Who was that?”</p><p>My husband took a step closer to me, wondering if it was something that we needed to be concerned about. I shook my head, putting my phone away after a moment.</p><p>“She said her name was Honey. I think she's one of the people who reached out to the League and asked us to come. She said she's sending her Togekiss to find and lead us.”</p><p>We both looked up, scanning the skies for any sign of it. My Pokemon followed suit. A couple of Wingull and Pelipper flew overhead, their cries filling the silence as we waited. Eventually, one of us spotted the large, egg-shaped Pokemon sailing overhead; it cried out when it spotted us. It came down to our level, gently nudging both my husband and I when it did.</p><p>“Nice to meet you, too,” my husband said, patting the Fairy-type on the head. “Would you mind leading the way?” he gently asked it. Togekiss gave him a playful bump in agreement. It floated in front of us at ground level.</p><p>As we followed it, I looked around the Isle some more. There were a lot more of the Buneary and Jigglypuff wandering around; several Jigglypuff were having a race, floating from one tree to the next, while the Buneary and other Pokemon watched. At one point, I noticed a Chansey, but it quickly ran off once it had spotted us. A few Klefki floated at the edge of the grass to watch us pass by, their expressions inscrutable. (I knew I was right in recognizing that cry earlier!) It wasn't long before the Master Dojo came into sight, and before it the bridge that Honey mentioned.</p><p>On the other side of it, I could just barely make out the figure of someone in a green top and white pants, with brown hair. They were accompanied by someone else in yellow clothing. As the two of us got closer, the person in yellow (a uniform, it looked like), turned and went inside the Dojo, and the first person (a woman, it seemed), turned in our direction. Togekiss seemed to fly faster, leading us across the bridge in haste, no doubt excited to see its Trainer once more.</p><p>“Ah, there you are Togey!” The woman greeted her Togekiss as it flew in quick, practically headbutting her in full force as it excitedly returned to her. “Yes, yes, you did an excellent job! Extra poketreats for you tonight.” She gently pushed her Pokemon down, who was nuzzling her so much that it was a wonder her makeup hadn't smudged. She looked us up and down when she could finally see us without her Pokemon in the way.</p><p>“Now then...” she looked at my husband first, noting the rather casual look compared to what she must have seen him wear in all the League promotional photos. “You must be Lance.” And then she turned to me, and I unintentionally flinched, not expecting the surprisingly sharp, scrutinizing gaze she had. “And Sarah. A wonderful pair of Champions to grace our Dojo, no doubt! How was your trip here? I hope you weren't put off too much by the lack of a guide. I could have sworn I told one of the newer recruits to meet the two of you at the station, but apparently they thought it was <em>tomorrow</em>, not today.” She sighed, placing one hand on her cheek. “I'm so sorry about the confusion. I should have done it myself, since I invited the two of you, but I was busy preparing everything for your arrival. Oh! I should introduce myself properly.”</p><p>She held out a hand as she began. “My name's Honey. I help keep this place running. You can consider me the lady of the house-- Not that the Master Dojo is just any old house!” Honey said with a grin. “And you've met my Togekiss here.” As though waiting for its introduction, it gave a soft trill, bowing its head in our direction.</p><p>“It's nice to meet you,” my husband said, offering his hand for a handshake, “Miss...?”</p><p>“Oh, no need to be so formal,” she said, before taking his hand. “Honey is fine.” She let go and turned to me. I offered a hand to her as well.</p><p>“What a good handshake you've got!” she said, surprised at first over my grip. But she met my grip with one that secured my own. It was unexpected, but I felt a little better about it. Like I could trust her.</p><p>“And same to you,” I said.</p><p>“I used to be a CEO of trading firm, I'll have you know,” she told me with a wink. “It wouldn't do me any good to not have a great handshake. But-- oh dear, but look at me!” she said suddenly. “Here I am making you stand around outside after you've come all this way! Come in, come in! Don't mind the faint stench of sweat!”</p><p>I nodded. My husband and I followed her; my thoughts catching up to me as I watched the back of my husband's cape flutter.</p><p>I wasn't quite sure what to expect during our time on the Isle of Armor. Originally, we had made plans to come here sometime after hearing that Leon, the Galar Champion, had been trained by the Master of the Dojo here on the Isle. But then, as though by fate, we received an invitation to come stay at the Master Dojo for a month; to train under the very same person that had trained the Champion that had defeated my husband in an exhibition match. Apparently, after seeing the match, Honey had reached out to the Indigo League representatives, convincing them of what great PR it would be for each of them if they had the standing Champion visit their little dojo. And Lance had shown interest in the opportunity to battle Mustard.</p><p>I overheard him one day talking to one of the Hoenn Champions before, about having a double battle against Mustard and Leon. I remember teasing him afterwards about how he thought of pairing with Steven over me, even though I had all but announced an official retirement from competitive battling. I knew that, if my husband wanted to have a serious match against two long-standing Champions of Galar history, it should be with someone who was still actively training. Not me. Even though I was his wife, and we had had a ton of double battles together, I didn't fault him for it. I hadn't taken on a serious challenge since I visited Kalos almost seven years ago. And that journey had been so lackluster for me, that it felt like League Challenges were losing their spark. I almost skipped out on their League Cup as a result.</p><p>At my feet, as though sensing my thoughts, Buneary and Jigglypuff both put a hand (or paw) against my leg, eliciting concerned noises.</p><p>“Ah, sorry. I'll be okay guys. I'm just a little tired,” I said, trying to assuage their concern. Pika knew me better; if she could have given me the same subtle frown of disbelief that a human could, I have no doubts that she would have. Instead, she simply twitched her tail, tapping me on the back with it as though in consolation.</p><p>I let out a sigh. My eyes slowly drifted up to the sky, taking in the new view that would now greet me for the next month. The sun was setting; beautiful hues were tinting the hills around the dojo gold. I wasn't looking at anything in particular when my eye caught movement. I looked up at the sign on the roof of the dojo, where a teddy bear-like head greeted all visitors. I watched for a bit, unable to see anything else.</p><p>“Sarah?” I heard my husband's voice from further up, on the steps of the building. “Is everything okay?”</p><p>“Mm? Yeah, it is. I just thought I saw something moving up there, but it isn't there anymore.”</p><p>Lance looked between me and Honey. She had a thoughtful expression, but otherwise it was unreadable as to what it meant.</p><p>“Let's get you inside and something to eat. I bet you two could use a good home-cooked meal.”</p><p>“Actually, the last time we had one was a few days ago, when Lance cooked--” I began, before looking at Miss Honey. “But I'm sure we haven't had cooking like <em>yours</em>!” I quickly added, covering up my tracks before they led me to trouble.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The First Match, part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lance and Sarah finally enter the dojo and meet Mustard, the master of the dojo they’re visiting, and Leon’s former master. When they do, he challenges them to a battle to test their skills.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Everybody, I have an announcement to make!”</p>
<p>When the doors had closed behind us, we weren't expecting to be introduced immediately to a full class of students; certainly not at this time of day. The loud call of Honey's voice caused every person in the Dojo to turn and look at us.</p>
<p>Had I been feeling better at the moment, I might have soaked in the spotlight that had suddenly been turned on us. But something had slowly clicked off in my brain, and I found myself hugging my recently-befriended Jigglypuff, hiding my hands behind its balloon-like shape. In spite of my own issues at the moment, I made sure to stand beside my husband. I didn't feel like a key figure here, but I'd be damned if I made myself look like a meek thing next to him. I could pretend to stand proud for the next few minutes.</p>
<p>“We've got some special guests. Please welcome the standing Champion Lance, and his wife, a former Champion, Sarah. They've come all the way from the Indigo Plateau in Kanto to train with us. I'm sure you will have many questions for them, but please remember they are here to learn from us as much as you all are.”</p>
<p>Simultaneously, everyone in the dojo crossed their arms over their chest, before throwing them down to their sides, their heads bowed in respect.</p>
<p>“HI-YAH!”</p>
<p>There was not a single stray voice, not a hushed, excited murmur, as the class shouted their greeting to us.</p>
<p>“Welcome to the Master Dojo!”</p>
<p>Their sudden, intense synchronicity was a little startling; even my husband had been surprised by it. The trainers in the Dragon Clan had a lot of discipline themselves, but there were never so many, nor a class-like environment such as this. Similar levels of respect were observed, but there was never a need for shouting. I hid a small smile behind my Jigglypuff, taking some comfort in the fact that even my husband was not expecting the greeting that we had been given.</p>
<p>Honey turned towards us, beaming with pride at the dojo's students. “All our students are so good and hardworking. Everyone really gives it their all around here.” She turned back towards the group of students, each wearing a yellow and black uniform. They continued to look her direction, as though waiting for her to speak again, or else to be dismissed.</p>
<p>Honey continued, her voice fawning a little as she spoke. “And that handsome gent in the back is my darling hubby, and the very master of the Master Dojo!”</p>
<p>At her words, he turned around. I noted the unusual outfit he wore. A teal-green and black sportsman varsity jacket with a navy blue emblem on the back; it reminded me of the image posted on the roof of the dojo. Perhaps their logo? He had on a hat that matched his jacket. Even more unusual was the large size of his eyebrows. Or was it hair that had grown so long it covered his eyebrows? I couldn't quite tell the difference from here. And he was....<em> old</em>. That stood out almost as much as his eyebrow-hair, given his wife's much younger appearance.</p>
<p>There was a pause as he quietly regarded his visitors, before breaking out into a mirthful grin. He moved his hands and legs into a pose that I would only assume was from martial arts, with one hand held high and the other in front, palm exposed; one leg was bent as though it could unleash a kick at lightning speeds if needed.</p>
<p>“Why, hello there! My name is Mustard! I'm rather good at Pokemon battles, you know! I'm pleased as cheese that you could join us!”</p>
<p>I'm not quite sure what we were expecting. From his clothes to his demeanor, he felt opposite from what we anticipated. What we were able to learn about Mustard before we arrived was that he was an incredibly disciplined and intense trainer; nothing about his casual demeanor led us to believe that we were looking at the same person. I quickly looked at my husband, to see if he caught onto the same things that I did; but if he did, he didn't show it. He was much better at maintaining a pokerface than me. Which shouldn't have surprised me at the moment; he needed that skill in order to be successful in his other line of work.</p>
<p>The group of students respectfully stood aside as Honey guided us through them to introduce us to the Master of the dojo. We bowed when we greeted him.</p>
<p>“Uh... nice to meet you?”</p>
<p>“Cheesed to meet you!”</p>
<p>I groaned at my husband's response, just barely resisting the urge to drag my palm across my face in front of present company. <em>Why</em> had he gone along with it. Couldn't he pretend that nothing odd was being said? <em>Nevermind that,</em> I thought to myself. <em>I'm sure he's doing it intentionally to tease or bug me.... </em></p>
<p>Mustard laughed, looking pleased with himself. “Heh heh, it's nice to see that you've got a sense of humor, too! Good, good!”</p>
<p>Honey sighed, shaking her head at her husband. She gave me a remorseful smile. “Don't let him fool you into thinking he's just a silly old man. He's a real beast when he gets serious.”</p>
<p>I looked at my husband and Mustard, heaving my own sigh. “I'm all too familiar with that myself, unfortunately.”</p>
<p>At that, Honey seemed to perk up. “What's so unfortunate about that, though?”</p>
<p>“I...” I looked at her, confused for a moment. Didn't we just <em>both</em> experience mortifying embarrassment at our husband's exchange, or was she not normal? But before I could formulate a response that didn't overstep any bounds, she turned back to her husband, a sweet smile on her face.</p>
<p>“Well, darling, I'll leave the rest up to you.” She excused herself, heading towards the sidelines of the Dojo. I gave her one last longing look, not wanting to be left in the company of our husbands if it meant having to hear excruciatingly painful jokes for the next stretch of time.</p>
<p>My husband looked at me, seeming to sense my distress. He reached a hand out discreetly for me to take, and I grabbed it, feeling him give it a gentle squeeze.</p>
<p>I'm sure the exchange was not missed by Mustard, because he gave us both an almost-teasing grin, but rather than comment on it, he moved on. “This is my favorite part of having new trainers visit our dojo. I wanna see just how good the two of you are! Everyone, clear out of the center; it's time for a Pokemon battle with our two guests!”</p>
<p>With excited murmurs and whispers, the crowd of students parted from where we stood, revealing the green and blue carpeting that lined the center of the dojo's main room. Now that it was exposed, it was clear that the center of this room doubled as a Pokemon battlefield. Mustard looked at a nearby dojo student, who nodded and took their place along the side of the field as the referee. Mustard's attention turned back to us.</p>
<p>“We'll have a one-on-one match for each of you, just as a sampling of your strengths.”</p>
<p>My eyes went wide in surprise; I'm not sure why this felt unexpected for me. I knew that we were coming here for training, so it'd make sense for us to be challenged like this. It was the best way to gauge our levels as both challengers and new trainees.</p>
<p>Perhaps it was because I had expected to settle in first, to be given time to adjust to the new environment, and get to know the other trainers before I was asked to battle. I hadn't even had time to set my bag down somewhere, much less find out where our luggage went, <em>if</em> it even made it here.</p>
<p>I took a deep breath and quickly recomposed myself. I rubbed my thumb over my husband's, and he squeezed my hand in response.</p>
<p>“So which of you is going to challenge me first?”</p>
<p>Lance and I both exchanged looks, communicating non-verbally a rather quick exchange. I used to jump at a chance to go first in a situation like this. No hesitation. I was always eager to show off my skills, to be given praise first and set the bar. But up until what I keep considering “recently” (in actuality it had been several years), I had lacked that drive to challenge, to show off my skills as a trainer and to eagerly take up any challenge that came my way. I didn't used to turn down offers for a battle, but as time went on, I found myself turning down more and more requests for a match, altogether fading from the public's memory as a Champion. It was never lost on me whenever the media referred to me as only his “wife”, his “spouse”, glossing over my previous achievements as the public's memory only lasted for as long as you did in the spotlight.</p>
<p>Unusual as it came to be, I did not want to be the one to challenge Mustard. Even though I understood the logic of it, I did not want to have a battle with him so soon, not under so many scrutinous eyes, an audience expecting a spectacular match from <em>both</em> of us.</p>
<p>“I'll go first,” Lance said, his eyes not leaving mine for a moment. I gave him a curious expression, but he didn't explain, instead turning his head towards Mustard. He let go of my hand, and I stepped aside, joining the students on the edge of the battlefield.</p>
<p>“Are there any particular rules?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Just the same as your exhibition match with Leon. Oh yes, I saw that match, and I must say, you impressed me a tiny bit with it. Perhaps if Gyarados was capable of Gigantamax, it might have stood a chance against Leon's Charizard!”</p>
<p>“I must admit, I thought we would have had the type advantage,” Lance said as he walked to his side of the field. He held up a Pokeball. “Now that we're back in Galar, I hope that we'll be able to get in more training on Dynamaxing.”</p>
<p>“Is that so?” Mustard stroked his goatee as he considered Lance's words. “Well, I hope that we'll be able to provide you the training that you're looking for!”</p>
<p>Without any call, Mustard sent out a Shinx. The small, blue and black lion cub stretched out on the field, letting out a cute yawn. It flicked its yellow, star-shaped tail as it surveyed its surroundings. It must have recognized that they were about to battle, because it turned towards my husband and let out a small growl. Electricity started to spark off its fur.</p>
<p>“Go! Zweilous!” Lance sent out the black and blue, two-headed Dragon-type Pokemon. It should have evolved into a Hydreigon by now, but upon evolving into its second stage, the adorable little Deino that I had given him had entered a rather stubborn phase, and refused to evolve again. It saw no need to, and Lance wasn't one to force or convince his Pokemon to evolve (especially not after that incident that led him to his red Gyarados). Maybe that's something else that Lance had wanted to work on while we trained here-- getting to know and understand his Zweilous better.</p>
<p>The Shinx continued to growl at Zweilous, giving the two heads pause. Zweilous responded with its own shout, teeth bared. Its black fur bristled, and its two small wings stood on edge, as though ready to take flight.</p>
<p>“Shinx, use Spark!” The tiny lion cub charged its body, before throwing itself at the dark-type two-headed dragon. Electricity crackled around Shinx as it sped towards its opponent.</p>
<p>“Dodge it and use Body Slam!”</p>
<p>Zweilous jumped into the air, its leap higher than one would have expected from it. Using the momentum from that, it landed a heavy Body Slam on the cub. Shinx fired off sparks still, struggling to get out from under the heavy dragon. It cried and growled, trying to get up. Mustard, however, saw the position his Pokemon was trapped in as an opportunity.</p>
<p>“Perfect. Shinx, use Ice Fang!”</p>
<p>“What?!”</p>
<p>At its trainer's command, Shinx's fangs went frosty white, and it bit into the nearest leg of Zweilous. Howling in pain, the dragon hobbled off of Shinx, who jumped up and faced it again. It pawed at the ground, fearlessly starting to circle around the much larger Pokemon. Its mouth still held an icy frost, prepared to use the technique once again.</p>
<p>“Zweilous, use Scary Face!”</p>
<p>A nasty face gave the blue cub pause. It cowered for a moment, and shook its head when its trainer called out to it. Though it moved a little slower, some hesitation in its step, the trust it had in its trainer was evident. It didn't waver, not even when Lance called out his next attack.</p>
<p>“Now, follow it up with Dragon Rush!”</p>
<p>“Use Thunder Wave!”</p>
<p>Shinx's reaction time was much slower, and it had been hit by the charging Zweilous. The power behind that attack had thrown it across the dojo battlefield, crashing into the wall behind Mustard. The electricity it had built up for a Thunder Wave crackled and fizzled out. The Pokemon tried to stand once more. It stumbled on its forelegs, before passing out.</p>
<p>“Shinx is unable to battle! Lance is the winner!”</p>
<p>Both trainers went to greet their Pokemon, Lance petting both heads of his Zweilous (both of which promptly tried to bite at his arms), and Mustard giving a good scritch behind his Shinx's ear.</p>
<p>“You did a fine job, Shinx.” Mustard called back his Pokemon, and it disappeared in a beam of red light. He stood back up to face Lance, grinning and stroking his goatee again.</p>
<p>“That was a mighty fine battle. I can't wait to see what your wife is capable of!”</p>
<p>I felt my face heat at that. I wasn't ready for my match.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this chapter could have technically been longer, but enough was going on in this one already that I decided it was best to keep them separate. put one match in one, and put the other to the next chapter. which makes me feel kinda bad that the first match is so short while the second is much longer, but, uh. well, that’s how the die roll, i guess!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The First Match, part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Now it’s Sarah’s turn to fight! But it’s been a long time since the former, multi-region champion has accepted a challenge. All eyes are on them! Will they do good, or will they falter because of their fears?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I posted this like exactly 2 weeks ago on tumblr and then got lazy about uploading it on here for some reason.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“That was a great match!” Mustard had said with a laugh. He clapped his hands together, and a small round of applause could be heard around the gym from my husband's victory over Mustard's Shinx.</p><p>I, however, was not ready for my turn. My Pokemon and I hadn't had some meaningful battles in a long time. Most of the ones that still longed to train helped my husband and his Pokemon with their training, but I hadn't taken an active part in any for some years. Heck, I was certain at this point that some of my Pokemon were better off without me issuing commands than if I had led them. My husband had tried to convince me that wasn't the case when I confided in him. But I saw how well they battled without me, and the better challenge they provided him and his teams than when I battled with them. I had left those Pokemon at home.</p><p>I didn't want to make myself a fool in front of anyone, especially not now. Mustard had pressed on the notion that, being Lance's wife, and a former winner of several Pokemon Leagues, I might provide him some sort of challenge. It only made me more concerned that I might be a huge disappointment to everyone's expectations.</p><p>I took a deep breath as I quickly ran over in my head the Pokemon that I had brought with me. I had Pika; I had Aphrodite, my Aromatisse, and her son Adonis; I <em>had</em> thought about bringing my Blaziken, Terrance, but instead I assumed that I'd pick him up from the PC once we arrived, if he was needed. But a quick look around, and asking before Lance's match, had revealed that there weren't any PCs yet, and that Honey had put one on order awhile back. It had yet to arrive. I looked down at my new companions, the Jigglypuff and Buneary. I hadn't properly caught them yet, intending to before we had gotten interrupted with the phone call, and then the dojo introduction, and now we were here. I thought maybe I might have a chance to get into my bags and look for the right Pokeballs for each one, like a Moon Ball and a Luxury Ball, but instead...</p><p>“Whenever the next challenger is ready,” I heard the Dojo Trainer say.</p><p>“Sarah?” Lance came to stand by me, looking at me with concern. “Are you okay?”</p><p>“Sorry, yes.” I shook my head, coming back to the present. “I was just trying to think of who to use. I haven't yet caught these guys, so I don't know what moves they know. So I guess that leaves Pika and Aromatisse...” I trailed off. Pika was perhaps my oldest partner Pokemon, but she had retired from battling about as long ago as I did, if not longer. She was more of a companion Pokemon nowadays, and I wasn't sure if her skills would be as sharp as some of the others. Aromatisse had brought me to victory in Kalos, but found that she enjoyed a life of contests over battles, so she had developed a completely different way to battle that wouldn't be useful or indicative of my style here. I mostly kept her with me because I found her to be a source of comfort with her aromatherapy. Now would have been the perfect time for that, but I didn't feel comfortable sharing that much with people I'd spend the next month with. <em>Can't let anyone know we've got issues</em>, I bitterly mused to myself.</p><p>Lance's concern deepened, and I pretended to look away, eyes gazing out at the battlefield. I knew that he'd want to talk about it later on, when we had time to ourselves. I'm not sure how grateful I was that I had a husband who preferred to discuss things in private, when I usually wanted to discuss things immediately, but at this time, it was greatly appreciated.</p><p>I put down my bag, steeling my nerves for the battle that was before me. Parts of me ate at my nerves, asking things like, “what if I forgot how to battle well”, “what if I lose because I make a horrible mistake, and that just makes my husband worry more”, and other such tales. It took a lot of my willpower to just ignore them and focus on the task at hand. Without even waiting for a command, Pika followed me out to the field, full of determination.</p><p>“Pika pika!” she looked at me, reassuring me. It seemed like she had missed battling, a bit more than I had, and was more than determined that she would take up the match. I looked over to where Jigglypuff and Buneary stood, who were watching curiously for the match to come. Buneary looked from where I stood to where Mustard was, examining the field with piqued interest. Jigglypuff was looking at me, watching, waiting.</p><p>“All right!” Mustard said. “Let's get this battle started. After all, a Pokemon battle is the best way to get to know new people!” He threw out a Pokeball, and a Mienfoo appeared on the field. The yellow and red Pokemon shook itself as though waking up, and briskly got itself prepared. It threw out a few jabs here and there, and looked my way. Its eyes were steeled for battle, sharp with determination.</p><p>“Okay then! Pi—Whaa?” Before I could finish what I was saying, Jigglypuff had thrown itself onto the field, angrily pushing my Pikachu out of the way.</p><p>“Puff, puff! Jigglypuff!!” It gave me a tough look, puffing itself to twice its size.</p><p>“I, oh... I guess I choose you, Jigglypuff! Sorry Pika, c'mon back.”</p><p>With a little disappointment, Pika ran to stand beside me in the small box outlined on the field for the trainers.</p><p>“Are you decided now?” Mustard asked me, amused. His tone was more knowing than I would have liked to imagine from him. I nodded. “Great! I can't wait to see you battle your heart out!”</p><p>I wilted a little at that. <em>What a disappointment he might be in for, if that's what he wants</em>....</p><p>“Mienfoo versus Jigglypuff. Battle, begin!”</p><p>“Mienfoo, use Fake out!”</p><p>Quick as a flash, Mustard's Pokemon had hit mine, causing Jigglypuff to fall backwards with a flinch. I winced. This was already off to a bad start.</p><p>I quickly rummaged through my brain, thinking about previous Jigglypuffs that I had trained. “That's okay, Jigglypuff. Use Hyper Voice!”</p><p>Jigglypuff took in a deep breath, and let out a loud scream. Trainers in the direction of Mienfoo all covered their ears, excepting Mustard, who merely grinned through it. Massive sound waves headed towards Mienfoo, and it took the hit.</p><p>“Heehee! That was a good one. Now, Mienfoo! Use Force Palm!”</p><p>With incredible speed, Mienfoo sped towards Jigglypuff. It stopped in front of it suddenly, and, with palms exposed, it pushed against Jigglypuff, forcing it to fall backwards again. Jigglypuff rolled away, hopping back up and puffing up in frustration as it did. If we had spent time training together up to this point, Rollout would have been a good move to use here. But as it stood, that move seemed like a high risk, since it not only sped up over time, but it would have been difficult for Jigglypuff to change direction or technique from there. It was a move that relied on a trainer and the Pokemon to be in sync for it to work best, and that was not something a freshly caught Pokemon and its trainer would typically have...</p><p>Let's see now... Normal-type... Fighting... Fairy....</p><p>“You've got this. Use Play Rough!” With all the frustration it could muster, Jigglypuff stormed over to Mienfoo, angrily slapping it around until a cloud of smoke appeared. It only ended when Mienfoo was shot out from the smoke, hitting the wall across the room.</p><p>“Awesome!” I shouted, cheering for Jigglypuff. It huffed, placing its hands at its sides much like one would place their hands on their hips. It seemed to have a lot of pride at its strength, and very eager to prove itself towards me.</p><p>Mustard laughed as his Mienfoo dusted itself off. “A super-duper effective move? I might be in trouble here. C'mon Mienfoo, show these two what you're made of! Drain Punch!”</p><p>“Uh-oh. Quick, dodge it!”</p><p>Quick as a whip, Mienfoo had jumped in again, fist first, as it aimed for my Jigglypuff. Jigglypuff quickly rolled to the side, blowing a raspberry at the Mienfoo as it passed them by.</p><p>“Use Drain Punch again! And don't let up!”</p><p>Our Pokemon became entrenched in a dance of techniques; every time Mienfoo stepped in with a Drain Punch, Jigglypuff stepped aside, letting the punch slide right past it. But with the speed that the Mienfoo launched these attacks, Jigglypuff couldn't launch a counter-attack. I felt lucky that Jigglypuff was keeping up for now, but I had no doubt that with its lack of training, it would quickly tire out if this kept up. Choosing to fight with a new Pokemon wasn't the best of the decisions that I had made today; and I was making a lot of poor ones.</p><p>It felt like Mustard was pushing me into a corner more than he had with my husband. I dismissed that thought; it didn't make sense. Mustard knew how good of a trainer my husband was. If he was going to push anyone, wouldn't it be the person who had fought his protege? Wouldn't it be someone who had stood on the Champion's pedestal for so long? Not a all-but-officially-retired trainer with multiple trophies from various leagues. .<em>..Oh. I guess that could make sense, if I was coming here to train. </em>Although I hadn't said that I was coming to train...</p><p>I felt myself tense up. This match wasn't looking good. One of the punches barely skimmed by Jigglypuff. It was starting to slow down, while Mienfoo was perfectly capable of keeping the fast pace it had led with. Another Drain Punch came in, swiftly following the first. It looked like it was going to connect, until Jigglypuff suddenly dodged by going flat against the ground. I felt inspiration strike me, like light in a tunnel.</p><p>“That's it! Jigglypuff, dodge its next one just like that, then use Headbutt!” Without missing a beat, Jigglypuff swiftly ducked under the ground, and used that distance to build up force for a headbutt, hitting the Mienfoo in the chest. It clutched at itself, falling backwards a little. “Now, finish it off with Play Rough before it recovers!”</p><p>In another flurry of hits, Mienfoo was down for the count.</p><p>“Mienfoo is unable to battle! Sarah is the winner!”</p><p>I took a deep breath, and let out a huge sigh of relief.</p><p>“Thank Arceus...” I said quietly to myself, before being tackled by my three loose Pokemon. “Ahh! Okay, okay, thank you guys, I think that's plenty...”</p><p>I grabbed my Jigglypuff, squeezing it in a tight hug, as it gave me happy noises. “You did such an awesome job! Not gonna lie, I didn't think you were gonna be much of a battler...” At this, Jigglypuff slipped free and floated in the air next to me, puffing up with a pout. It crossed its arms, as though it were saying, <em>I can't believe you didn't believe in me!</em></p><p>I giggled at it, patting it gently on the head. “Yes, yes, you did wonderfully.”</p><p>It floated down to the ground, satisfied with the praise. Lance stood beside me, a smile that betrayed the pride he held for me. I rolled my eyes at him. “That match wasn't anything, c'mon now.”</p><p>“Don't take the victory away from your Pokemon,” he teased at me. “I don't think that would make your new Jigglypuff very happy to hear.”</p><p>Mustard came over, Mienfoo standing beside him. His Pokemon was smiling, and offered a paw out to congratulate Jigglypuff on its win. Jigglypuff was staring warily at it. There was a bit of tension between the two, before Jigglypuff slapped its hand in a downwards-five. I smiled, and looked up at Mustard.</p><p>“That was a great match!” he said. “You've still got some talent in you, if you can win a match like that with a Pokemon you just got!”</p><p>“Wait, what?” I looked down at Jigglypuff, who wasn't paying us any mind. “I'm so confused, I don't even know what to ask. <em>How</em> did you know? Was it the lack of Pokeball, or that it just barged right in, or--”</p><p>“Well, aside from what you were muttering to your husband right before our match, it <em>was </em>because you had kept those two out of their Pokeballs. I've seen recordings of both of your guys' matches.” He laughed at my confused expression. “You rarely keep your Pokemon outside of their Pokeball, and it's usually just that Pikachu you've got. You don't think that I would let some Champions in to train under my dojo without researching them first?”</p><p>“I mean... I dunno. I assumed I was just a plus-one here,” I admitted in a low voice. I motioned to my husband. “I assumed he was the real guest, and you've already stated that you've seen his match with Leon some months ago. I haven't had a big match that got recorded in....” I looked away, trying to search my memory. Maybe Kalos...? I let the sentence hang in the air, not wanting to continue. The awkward pause lasted only a short moment, as Mustard continued.</p><p>“You sell yourself short! We'll make sure we get rid of that before you leave.” His tone had changed briefly, before resuming its usual cheer. “But we'll worry about that later!”</p><p>Mustard moved off the battlefield, and turned to address everyone in the dojo.</p><p>“You have just seen what two Champions from other regions can do. Even when faced against the odds, their trust in their partner Pokemon allow them to easily snatch victory! Whether that is a new partner or an old one, their experience allows them to keep control of themselves and their Pokemon. It'll be real exciting to see them when their time here is up.” Mustard grinned.</p><p>“With that said... It's time to really start our training! You'll all be facing three trials.”</p><p>We could hear surprised murmuring from amongst the students. I looked around, confused. What kind of training were they doing before?</p><p>“And there's more! The person who completes the three trials will receive the secret armor of this dojo!” More excited murmuring. Someone even exclaimed out loud “I want it!” Mustard laughed, continuing. “Heh heh, that's the spirit! As for what the trials will be... You'll have to find out tomorrow! It's much too late at night to begin. I will see all of you bright and early tomorrow morning!”</p><p>“Yes, Master!”</p><p>“You are dismissed, and have a great evening! If you have any questions, you know where to find me.”</p><p>Mustard turned his attention back towards Lance and I, speaking to us in a tone that felt more conversational than the one he had given us as master of the dojo.</p><p>“You two both put on splendid battles. However, I know that's not all that you can give me!” His eyes shifted to mine, and I felt myself pause. “Especially you. When was the last time you've been in a battle? Wouldn't it be nice when you two return, that you provide your regions an exciting battle between two Champions?”</p><p>I looked away, and Lance immediately picked up on my discomfort of the subject.</p><p>“I think that's something we can talk about more another time,” he said. “May we please be led to our room so we can unpack?”</p><p>There was a pause. Then, “Of course, of course. Honey!” He called out to the kitchen, and his wife's head popped out from the door frame.</p><p>“Yes, love?”</p><p>“Can you show these two to their room?”</p><p>“I'd love to!” She disappeared for a second. There was the faint sound of instructions being given, and Honey returned, coming over to us. “If you'd like to leave your Pokemon here, you can. Their food is usually ready before ours,” she laughed.</p><p>I looked at my Jigglypuff, Buneary, and Pikachu. “You guys wanna wait here for food?”</p><p>My two new Pokemon nodded, while Pika shook her head. I left the other two in the dojo's main room, where other Pokemon were awaiting food, bowls in the process of being placed down.</p><p>We followed Honey down a hall. She chatted idly with us, explaining about the history of the dojo, and how it was her husband's idea to build it on the isle. She pointed everything out on the way so we'd have an idea of where things were, before finally stopping at a room. Her hand went to the doorknob and paused, as though suddenly remembering something.</p><p>“Oh! You'll have to pardon the bunk beds. We don't get many couples who train together at our dojo, so we haven't got many beds larger than what you see here. I placed an order in earlier in the week for a queen, but it hasn't arrived yet. I apologize for that!”</p><p>“It's okay.”</p><p>She nodded and opened the door, motioning for us to go in. “Dinner'll be ready in a bit. I'll let you guys get yourselves situated first and come get you when it's done.”</p><p>I breathed a sigh of relief at finally being away from the large crowd, and entered the bedroom.</p><p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. I'll Hold You To It</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Retired to the room, Sarah finally lets go of their stress and composure. Lance reminds them that he’s there for them while the both of them have a talk about what just happened.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>cw for this particular chapter: depression and anxiety(?) symptoms, bad brain thoughts. (If someone can more accurately name the cws for this chapter after reading, i'd be grateful)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ms. Honey had shown us to our room. She had mentioned that the dojo hadn't planned for many couples to stay with them, so the room itself had a bunk bed, rather than something larger. She said that she had put an order in for a queen size, but it wasn't expected for another few days. I looked around the room. There was a dresser. Our luggage to the side of it. A closet. A rug at the center of the room. A few cushions on the floor, stacked alongside one wall. There was a desk with a chair near the room's window, a few books neatly placed on one of the desk's shelves.</p><p>I put my bag down at the corner of the bed. All I had wanted to do now was flop onto it, but that was rather difficult with the bunk bed. Instead, I opted for sitting on its edge, heaving a large sigh as I sat cross-legged. My Pikachu quickly jumped onto the bed, running over the pillows before spreading out across one of them. Well, at least she was comfortable.</p><p>My husband placed his bag on the desk, and turned around to face me. I pretended not to notice.</p><p>“So,” he paused, carefully breaching the topic at hand. “Is there a particular reason that you didn't want to battle in front of everyone?”</p><p>I winced, closing my eyes and crossing my arms; and when I realized what I was doing, I uncrossed one arm, trying to find a place for it as I searched my brain for an answer.</p><p>“Not... really...? I wasn't expecting to be greeted like that.”</p><p>“I'll admit, that was an unexpected greeting. But that wasn't what I was asking.” He crossed the room to sit next to me on the bed. I looked away, trying to will myself to not get emotional right away. “Is something wrong? You used to jump at the chance to battle anyone. Don't think I haven't noticed all these years when you've declined even <em>training</em> together.”</p><p>I shook my head. “No, nothing's wrong... I think. I just--” I let out a shaky sigh. “I don't know anymore. I haven't felt like it in a long time. It's like... It's like it doesn't excite me anymore? It... It hasn't, really. I don't know exactly when it started, or what caused it, if anything caused it.” My lips quivered as I spoke. Tears started to well up in the corner of my eyes. I placed both hands against the wooden bedframe, struggling for something solid to hold me up, afraid to fall apart already.</p><p>Lance placed an arm around me. As soon as I felt his hand on my shoulder, it was like something suddenly broke, the flood of emotion coming through like a broken dam. I quickly pressed my face into his shoulder, as though hiding the tears that were coming could save me any face-- my brain direly trying to find ways to minimize the idea that crying equated weakness, and that my husband, who has seen me cry countless times, who had been there for me as I navigated the difficult path of my own grief, might somehow think less of me for it. Even though he never had, and never will. But I spent too much time being told otherwise growing up, and it made even moments like these, with someone I trust, all the more difficult to share the pain and confusion that I held in my heart.</p><p>“I... I don't know!” I wailed into his shoulder, as he held me close. I struggled to speak through choking sobs. “I always-- I loved it so much, I always thought that maybe I'd... I.. I never thought I might become <em>less</em> passionate about Pokemon and battles and training and contests and-- and--” I broke off, unable to find the words for everything else that plagued me. Just.... everything.</p><p>Not once did my husband pull me away. Instead, I felt him hold me closer;<br/>
I was faintly aware of how tight he held me. The fingers that gently ran through the tips of my hair. His lips pressed against my temple. Against my head.</p><p>Eventually, I was able to pull away; the crackling of my plastic glasses reminded me that the pressure might break them, and I carefully took them off, throwing them at the pillow next to where Pika had laid down. She was standing up now, looking at me in concern. But she trusted her human's husband to be able to calm and take care of me, after all these years. I wiped the tears from my eyes, and my husband offered me his cape.</p><p>“I'm not wiping my nose on that,” I said through a shaky laugh.</p><p>He gave me a soft smile. “But it got you to laugh, didn't it?”</p><p>I rolled my eyes and shook my head. He moved his hands down to my arms, gently but firmly holding me, reminding me that he was still here if I needed it.</p><p>“You know you don't need to hide your feelings from me, remember? You can tell me anything.”</p><p>“What if I wanted to tell you that I caught Regigigas and it took me further inside its temple and there was a bunch of Unown who could grant any wish with their combined power, but I already had what I wanted from them and then I had to leave Regigagas behind so it could guard the home of those Unown?”</p><p>“That's a very specific example, but yes, you could tell me all of that.”</p><p>I shook my head again, watching him take off his cape. He looked at me, waiting for me to continue what I had been saying before. I took a deep breath, resigned to my fate.</p><p>“It's just.... Did you ever wonder why I stopped battling?”</p><p>He nodded. “Always. Whenever it comes up-- especially right now.”</p><p>“Right. Well... Nothing happened. I honestly don't know. I wish I could give you an answer, but I haven't found it myself just yet.”</p><p>Lance gave me a thoughtful hum. “Do you know why you came with me to train here?”</p><p>“Honestly, it's because I wanted to spend time with you, and I thought it might be nice to see you take some time off, for once,” I teased half-heartedly.</p><p>He rolled his eyes at me. “Fair point. But why did you come? You knew that this was meant to be a training trip, not a vacation.”</p><p>I looked away from him, staring at the floorboards of the room. Tracing their grooves and paths, as though it could lead me away from this scene. “I... dunno. The invite was for both of us, so I just assumed that I'd be tagging along anyways. As a courtesy or somethin'. I thought it might be nice. Maybe.... Maybe... deep inside I thought it might help?” I winced at the admission. “But I'm not sure why that would be. It's not like training with you or the others have helped, either. It's still training; it's all the same.”</p><p>“Perhaps a change in scenery might help you? How many regions have you traveled to?”</p><p>I counted on my hand, naming them off in my head. “A lot?” I frowned. “But I don't see what that has to do with this.”</p><p>“When was the last time you went somewhere?” He caught my attempt to be literal and stopped me before I even begun. “I don't mean to just any place. When was the last time you traveled somewhere, and explored a region like you used to.”</p><p>I screwed up my face in thought, trying to remember.</p><p>“Kalos.... I think? It was the last time I went somewhere <em>new, </em>at any rate.” That was several years ago. I spent the entire trip enjoying the beauty of the region, but the Gym and League challenges itself had been lackluster for me. Maybe because, before that, was my trip to Unova, to visit family, and that... I shook my head. “But I'm still not following you, for once. I spent a lot of the time wishing that I could have spent it with you, instead of by myself.” It had been the first time I went on that kind of journey since we had married.</p><p>A thought hit me.</p><p>“I think I missed you too much to really enjoy it,” I admitted, turning away from him. “But that shouldn't explain the time spent afterwards.” I threw myself into work, trying to find my own job, something that I could do. A battle cafe, any place that needed trainers, where the pay was dependent on what you could pull. Then a library for a few years. I had enjoyed my time there, but I found the sometimes dull pace too boring. I eventually found myself a way into working as a barista at one of those battle cafes, but the stress had been too much, and the hours were too little; I more or less resigned, becoming an on-call hire, and yet even <em>that</em> had been too stressful, not knowing whether or not I could ever have time for myself.</p><p>I struggled to find a job that I could take at my own pace, and all I could manage, at best, was a few short stories posted under a pseudonym, wanting to earn the money on my own merit and not from some attachment to my accomplishments as a trainer-- much less my husband's, at that point. The media would have had a field day with that, offers of promotion and other such things, more than it was worth. Heck, it could have invited backlash and hate, claims that I was using my fame to get a book in. I envied Shauntel, an Elite Four member in Unova, who was both trainer and writer. And I had finally decided to live that dream of being both writer and trainer. But I hadn't touched on either dream, instead choosing to delegate myself to odds and ends, taking care of Pokemon and helping whenever someone between the two Leagues asked for it. But there wasn't much income in that, either, and I felt bad about it.</p><p>“<em>I should be able to do this</em>,” I found myself often saying, frustrated. I should be able to work at being a trainer, like many others, and work towards a calling. To even find one. To even be <em>close</em> to one. And it felt like having a job would make it easier. That's what so many of the others my age were doing. What so many people before me had done, at this age. And....</p><p>Having a husband who worked a lot? Who took on so much? It only made that feeling of worthlessness worse. But I couldn't tell him that. He didn't deserve to hear that, and besides, it was only my brain that was convincing me of that. No one in our inner circle had said anything about it. And yet, it felt like so many others were accomplishing so much more, and I? I was struggling just to find my bearings every day.</p><p>My husband was silent, letting my thoughts wander as I thought. When he finally spoke, his words pulled me out of the dark path that my thoughts were leading me to, grounding me back to reality.</p><p>“If part of the problem was that you missed me, then I hope that won't be an issue here,” he said, softly. “I'm here. We can share this experience together.”</p><p>At that last part, I felt something in me perk up.</p><p>“And then maybe we can tour Alola together?” I asked meekly.</p><p>He gave a gentle laugh. “Yes, we can one day tour Alola together.”</p><p>I wrapped my arms around him and pushed myself against him, burying my face in his shoulder again, this time with a happy hum. I don't think he expected it, because we fell onto the bed, barely dodging the corner of wall and bunk bed. I quickly sat up as he laid there, laughing.</p><p>“Oh shit. You okay hon?”</p><p>“I'm fine.”</p><p>I yelped-- He pulled me back down onto the bed, and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I snuggled up against him, and we laid there. Pika watched us curiously, before taking the chance to crawl onto us, curling up with a pleasant smile on her face. We didn't say anything for awhile.</p><p>I felt the terrible thoughts come and go in waves. Whenever something awful crossed my mind, my body seized up from the stress, and I gripped onto my husband's shirt, trying not to let it show, but wanting to reach out all the same. He placed his hand over mine. Slowly, he slid his fingers between mine and gave my hand a squeeze.</p><p>“I'm here. You don't need to hold back anymore, okay?”</p><p>I felt my eyes water. I squeezed his hand back with all of my strength, and he squeezed back. I buried my face against him once more. I didn't want to let him see me cry, even if it was okay. Even if I was allowed to have these feelings, I didn't want to share them. He'd feel awful that I felt that way, and probably responsible in some way, too. I don't know, and I didn't want to find out.</p><p>The feelings eventually ebbed away, and I found myself just lying there, cradled up against him, as he held onto one of my hands and the other wrapped around me. I checked myself; I didn't feel like I had any tears or frustrated feelings that I could easily bring up without effort; I felt like I could maybe contain myself. That I could go out there and pretend like everything was fine with me once again.</p><p>But, it also felt very nice, just being held like this. Did we really have to get up and eat...?</p><p>A knock on the door told me yes.</p><p>We carefully sat up. Lance's arm was still around me, holding me close.</p><p>“I'm fine now,” I said quietly, motioning for him to get the door. He looked at me carefully, before finally answering the door for us.</p><p>“Is everything okay in here?” I could hear Ms. Honey's voice come in, a note of concern in her voice. <em>Crap</em>. I didn't think I was crying loud, and I thought it was muffled on top of that, but if she had somehow heard it... That wasn't the best impression I wanted to make on the first day being here.</p><p>“Yes, everything's fine. Thank you for your hospitality.”</p><p>“Oh, you're welcome! If you two are ready, feel free to come eat dinner!”</p><p>“Thank you. We'll see you shortly.”</p><p>Lance closed the door, and turned towards me. He gave me a questioning look, silently asking if I was okay. I shook my head, then nodded. I got up to rummage through my luggage, looking for the small stash of Pokeballs I had brought with me. I picked out a Moon Ball and a Luxury Ball, zipping the bag back up. I instinctively went towards the bag I normally carried with me, before remembering that I didn't need to bring it with me while we stayed at the dojo.</p><p>I looked up at my husband.</p><p>“Babe?”</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“I'mma hold you to it,” I told him.</p><p>“I know.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this fic was finished like............. back when ch 2 was, because it was written out of order as a vent fic that could be placed into this story. It’s important to include some variety in a story, and sometimes that means depressing chapters like this. I wanted to make sure that it was going to fit before I posted it, which is why it took so long. Thanks for the wait!</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Trial One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After a rather eventful arrival yesterday on the Isle of Armor, it’s time to see what the next day holds! This includes getting up early, and finding out what the first trial is, which all students at the Master Dojo will be partaking in!</p>
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    <p>The rest of the evening had passed by without much incidence. Many of the trainers who were here to learn from Mustard came up to us during dinner; they asked us about the battles they witnessed, if we would battle them, and a couple of them mentioned wanting to see a battle between the two of us. But Honey and Mustard had settled them down, and we all went to back to our rooms that night without anything noteworthy happening.</p><p>I woke up the next morning to the sound of my husband answering the door. I groaned, pulling the covers over my head, and zoned back out so that I could go back to sleep again. I had no idea what time it was, but it was far too early for me. The door was closed softly. I comfortably began to doze off again, waking up again when Lance slowly pulled the covers away from my head, the cold air causing me to wake.</p><p>I groaned again, looking at my husband with a tired glare.</p><p>“It's time to get up,” he said sweetly, kissing my forehead. He was far too used to my grumpy mornings. It didn't matter if we were at home or another region; he knew how to handle me when I didn't even want to handle being awake.</p><p>“Dun' wanna,” I muttered. Knowing it was futile to grab the sheet once more, I curled up around a pillow, tucking my head under it. He wouldn't dare tug a pillow away from me.</p><p>“Ms. Honey is making breakfast, and it would be rude of us to miss it.”</p><p>I groaned again, a little less argumentatively.</p><p>“She also brought by uniforms for us to change into.” At this, he gently placed a folded up set of clothes next to my head. I stuck my head out from under a pillow to eye him. “She said that they should fit you.” I gave a disagreeing grunt. “You're welcome to try them on. I've already changed; I'm waiting on you to get up.”</p><p>He got off the edge of the bed, and I debated my life choices for the morning. Stay in bed and enjoy more sleep, <em>or </em>actually do something different and get up and dressed. And even in my groggy, sleepy state, I was kind of curious to see how the outfit looked on Lance. But even if the uniform for me technically did fit, that didn't mean that I was gonna feel good in it, or that it was even gonna look good on me. <em>…Not that it mattered</em>, I thought grumpily to myself. <em>Why am I bothering about a uniform, of all things?</em></p><p>With all of the dramatic groaning to let the entire world know that I was <em>not</em> about this morning life, I finally got up. ...And bumped my head against the bunk bed. Ow. I hissed a curse under my breath, looking around for my husband.</p><p>Lance came over with a water bottle and my medication, and I took them while I sat on the edge of the bed, contemplating life and how much I wanted to hurt the bunk bed for being in my way of a good morning.</p><p>“You know, you actually have to <em>get up</em>,” he teased me. I grunted at him. “You're welcome to stay in bed if you want, but I thought you said last night that you liked Ms. Honey. I don't think you want to let her down by not coming to breakfast.”</p><p>“.....”</p><p>I looked around for Pika, seeing if I could at least get <em>her</em> on my side, but she was nowhere to be found.</p><p>“If you're looking for Pika, she already joined the other Pokemon for breakfast.”</p><p>“Ah. Fine, fine. I'll get up,” I muttered. I looked over at my husband, nearly forgetting that he said he had changed into the uniform. I had to do a double take to process that he was wearing something entirely different than usual. Normally it was dark colors that he wore, so the canary yellow uniform was an unexpected color on him. But somehow, it worked for him. Then again, I was probably biased. I could have admired him in anything that he wore.</p><p>“...Hon.”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“You look good in it.” A part of me that was more awake was embarrassed about the words, but I was too tired to figure out how to word the compliment better.</p><p>“Thank you.” He smiled at me, and I felt myself perk up just a little bit from that. I looked at the uniform that was still folded on the bed, debating life choices.</p><p>“Do you think I'll have time to change later on? Like, after breakfast, at least.”</p><p>“I wouldn't know. It's up to you. No one's gonna make you wear it if you don't want to.”</p><p>“Mmm....” I let out a loud sigh and grabbed the uniform as I got out of bed. I made my way to the bathroom and got ready. I grabbed the shirt, assessing its size before trying it on. I was surprised when the shirt actually did fit. I put my arms through the sleeves of the jacket, also surprised at the comfort of its fit. By the time I had finished getting dressed, I felt better about wearing the uniform. I pulled my hair back, clipping it up as I looked in the mirror. I didn't feel absolute confident in its fit, but knowing that others would also be wearing it gave me some peace of mind. I stepped out of the bathroom to find the uniform's accessories, trying them on.</p><p>“You look cute,” I heard my husband say suddenly. That was enough to jolt me awake, face heating up at his words. I buried my face and let out a conflicted whine. I wanted to yell back that I wasn't, but the unexpected compliment from him left me in too flustered a state to even try. It didn't help how early it was. And, even if I had said anything negative, he would have combated every single argument I've ever given him about my appearance, as he had over all the years we've known each other. I had a very good husband.</p><p>“Let's-- Let's just go to breakfast!” I said, storming off in a flustered state while Lance gave a good-nature laugh behind me.</p><p> </p><p>We entered the dining hall. Many of the other dojo students were already seated and eating. There was a jovial, homely energy in the air, and several of the students were more than happy to talk to us and provide us a spot at the table. Across from us sat two of the youngest members of the dojo, who excitedly asked us about our Pokemon, and why we came to the dojo, and if we'd play with them sometime. My husband smiled at them.</p><p>“I'd love to play with you guys sometime!”</p><p>It made me smile seeing him interact with children. It was just so adorable! And he was so sweet with them, so good with kids. But sometimes that made me feel guilty; I'd never change my mind on the subject.</p><p>Mustard stood at the end of the table. He cleared his throat, speaking loudly and clearly, causing everyone to quiet. It stirred me from my thoughts, and I was more than grateful for the distraction.</p><p>“Alright everyone! I know you're all excited to learn more about what your first trial will be. Ahem.” He nodded to his wife, who brought in three Slowpoke. They were different than the ones I was familiar with, having a yellow crown and yellow tips at the ends of their tail. But other than the markings, they seemed hardly different.</p><p>The other students started whispering curiously.</p><p>“This is the first trial, my students. It won't be an easy task! Heh heh heh.” He turned to his Slowpoke. They slowly looked up at Mustard, regarding him quietly. Not a word was spoken by either of them. Then, with the flash of Mustard's grin, the three slowpoke darted out, faster than a Crobat using Quick Attack.</p><p>Wide-eyed stares went around the room as we all tried to process what just happened. Mustard had a mischievous grin on his face as he looked at his students' confusion.</p><p>“You've all gotta chase after those fast Slowpoke, trained with care by little old me. But that's not all... You need to defeat them, too! Well, that's that! Do your best, you lot!” He turned away from his students, walking away to another room. We were left standing and staring in shock at what just happened.</p><p>“Is this common for Galarian Slowpoke?” I whispered to one of the trainers that sat near me.</p><p>“No,” they said with surprise.</p><p>“I've never seen Slowpoke move like that,” said another person.</p><p>The shock of the speedy Slowpoke wore off, and everyone looked at each other. Suddenly, they all rushed out, leaving my husband and I a little confused about what happened.</p><p>“...I guess we go after the Slowpoke?” I said, still trying to figure out how this training even made sense.</p><p>“Looks like it. C'mon, let's go!” Lance grabbed my hand, pulling me with him.</p><p>We turned the corner, headed into the main room of the dojo, where our Pokemon had been eating. Zweilous wasn't the least bit curious about where everyone went, and carried on eating like usual. Pika had looked up at the rush of students, her head tilted as the last stragglers left in a hurry.</p><p>“Pi?”</p><p>“C'mon Pika. It looks like we're joining in the fun.”</p><p>“Pikachu!” She jumped onto my shoulder, little paws digging into the uniform as she held on.</p><p>“Zweilous, you too! Let's go!” There was a disgruntled growl from him; he begrudgingly went back into his Pokeball.</p><p>We left, catching the trail of dust that the Slowpoke left behind. Several students made frustrated noises and comments, one stamping his feet on the ground before running after them.</p><p> </p><p>“Pika, use Thunder Wave!”</p><p>We finally managed to catch up to one of the Slowpoke. The runner had slowed down considerably, paralysis setting in when Pikachu's attack landed. Finally, it struggled to move with any haste, and turned its head to look at us.</p><p>“Slow?”</p><p>“Okay, let's get this done in one shot-- Thunderbolt!”</p><p>Pikachu unleashed a bolt of lighting on the poor Slowpoke. It closed its eyes when the bolt hit, and opened them when it ended.</p><p>“Poke?”</p><p>“Gah. It should have been super effective! Or are they a different type....?”</p><p>It opened its mouth and looked up at the sky. Dark clouds began to form, and I grimaced. Rain Dance. In a marsh. This was not going to be a fun battle for us, considering all the mud that was already here.</p><p>“Go, Zweilous! Use Crunch!” Lance tossed forward his Pokeball; out arrived the blue and black two-headed dragon. Its two heads lifted in the direction of the paralyzed Slowpoke, and it rushed forward, both heads biting into its opponent. Slowpoke struggled to shake off Zweilous. When Zweilous released it, Slowpoke let out a cry that had summoned the other two to its side. One of the two new Slowpokes came towards the first, nudging it slightly before emitting a healing aura towards it.</p><p>“Heal Pulse?” I asked.</p><p>As though to answer my own question, that first Slowpoke got to its feet. It stretched out its body, shaking off the last bits of paralysis. All three of the Slowpoke turned towards us. Slowly, their expressions became more serious; one of them charged at our Pokemon with lightning speed.</p><p>“Was that Extreme Speed?!”</p><p>Our Pokemon narrowly dodged the first one's attack, but his friends were now joining in, causing our Pokemon to dance between all three of them, barely avoiding the attacks. They spun around. Zweilous, though trained by a highly skilled trainer, couldn't keep up for much longer; one of his legs stumbled into mud, getting stuck, and the Slowpoke saw. All three of them turned, charging at him once more.</p><p>“Now!! Use Scary Face!!!”</p><p>Zweilous turned his two heads towards the oncoming Slowpoke. A nasty snarl came from both of his heads, suddenly slowing all of the Slowpoke. They paused, considering their position now. Without the intense speed that caused them to –literally- run circles around our Pokemon, they were much more likely to get hit. And I wasn't going to let the chance slide by.</p><p>“Pika, now! Use Thunderbolt on all three!”</p><p>“Pi... ka.... CHUUUUU!!!”</p><p>Pika's red cheeks crackled with sparks, and lightning shot out from them. A bolt seared across the ground, tracing a line through each Slowpoke, all of whom now slowly tried to get out of the way. Even their Extreme Speed had slowed considerably, and Pika had no issues keeping up with them.</p><p>Zweilous had dislodged his foot from the mud, finally, and growled at the Slowpoke who had spun him 'round in circles. He didn't like being made fun of, as a very prideful Dragon-type Pokemon, but the Slowpoke were no longer showing any signs of resistance. The change brought by Rain Dance faded away, and the sun came out once more, lighting up the marsh.</p><p>I looked at Lance.</p><p>“I think... we got them?”</p><p>“I think so too.”</p><p>“That was way easier than I expected. Well, once you slowed them down, I suppose.”</p><p>“I'm glad to see that we still make a good team,” Lance said, flashing me a smile. I rolled my eyes.</p><p>“Puh-lease. You could have taken them all on just fine without me. Zweilous' Scary Face was key here.”</p><p>We both shook our heads at each other; we knew that it wasn't worth arguing about it with each other. We started towards our Pokemon, when we heard voices.</p><p>“Woah...”</p><p>“Can you believe it...?”</p><p>“I didn't even get a chance to catch up to one...”</p><p>The sound of voices around us suddenly made me realize that we had created an audience. I looked around, suddenly embarrassed. I didn't think that was going to be something that I'd have to worry about here.</p><p>“Ah... ahaha... Sorry about that, guys?”</p><p>“Don't be sorry!! You two were so cool!!” said a young man, looking pumped up.</p><p>“You think so?” said my husband. He gave me a pointed look. I recognized that expression and rolled my eyes again. Silly man. Trying to get me to agree with the praise the dojo students gave us.</p><p>“Yeah, totally!!”</p><p>“How did you know that the Slowpoke would charge so you could use Scary Face?!”</p><p>“And you didn't even wait for them to do anything else, you just used Thunderbolt and it was so strong it finished them off!”</p><p>“Personally, I would have used Thunder, because it's stronger and has a higher accuracy during rain, but, of course, that's a matter of a Pokemon knowing that move--”</p><p>“No one <em>cares</em>.”</p><p>All this attention was unexpected. But as strange as it felt to be praised over what felt like a simple and easy match, it also felt nice. Things that felt like the basics awed these students, and they looked up to us as beacons of strength. Which only made it feel more strange. I looked around, and--</p><p>
  <em>Oh right.</em>
</p><p>“Does anyone have any potions or revives?” I asked. “We gotta get these Slowpoke up and running again.”</p><p>“I do!” A young girl walked over, grabbing some revives from a small pack tied around her hip. She used them on all three of the Slowpoke, who slowly came to. The Slowpoke blinked their eyes, and shook themselves off. They each began to use Heal Pulse on each other, then turned towards Zweilous and Pika. Two of them walked towards Zweilous, who backed up uncertainly, giving out a warning growl.</p><p>“Zweilous, stand down,” Lance commanded. Reluctantly, the Pokemon stopped growling, but each of his heads watched warily as the two Slowpoke approached. The two Pokemon opened their mouths, and let out the gentle healing aura of Heal Pulse. Zweilous looked confused, still wary, but he seemed to relax a little bit. Meanwhile, the third one went over to Pika, emitting another Heal Pulse on her. She giggled as though the move tickled her.</p><p>“We should probably head back to the dojo,” Lance said. At his words, the Slowpoke all dashed away in the direction of the dojo. Lance held out his Pokeball, and Zweilous disappeared in a red beam of light.</p><p>I nodded, and Pika ran over, jumping onto my shoulder. I grimaced.</p><p>“Aw, no. Pika, you got mud on the uniform!”</p><p>She gave me an apologetic 'chu' and hopped back down, making sure to land in a drier spot on the ground.</p><p> </p><p>We arrived at the dojo to find Honey and Mustard chatting in the main area. The Slowpoke had already returned to them, slowly lowing at them for food.</p><p>“Alright, alright. We'll get you sweeties some food once everyone comes back!” said Honey, patting each Slowpoke on their head. She looked up to see Lance and I enter.</p><p>“Oh, Lance, Sarah! Welcome back!” She smiled at us. “We heard from some of the other students how you both did!”</p><p>“Well mustered, both of you!” Mustard grinned at us. “You cleared the first trial like it was nothing. Why, I think this is the first time since Leon that someone was able to handle all three fast Slowpoke! Of course, I had a feeling that either one of you would be able to do it on your own.”</p><p>“Thank you,” said Lance. “We wanted to do this together; though neither of us expected all three Slowpoke to join up for a triple battle.”</p><p>“Yes, well...” Mustard rubbed the back of his neck. “That's not what we normally have planned for them, either. They must have sensed a real challenge from the two of you!”</p><p>We heard the doors open behind us as several more students came back, exhausted.</p><p>“Sorry, Master! We're back. We needed to round up everyone else, since the Slowpoke left.”</p><p>“Yes, yes, that's what was intended-- for each Slowpoke that was defeated, they were supposed to come back here. Only three people are supposed to pass the first trial.”</p><p>We heard a lot of gasps of shock go around, as the students began murmuring amongst themselves what it meant, since the two of us managed to defeat all three of them at once. But Mustard gestured for the class to calm down.</p><p>“Students! Please quiet. The rest of you tried very hard, too! You were able to catch up to the Slowpoke, but I guess you couldn't defeat them.” The class muttered and mumbled their own responses, giving Mustard some amusement from their reaction. He grinned at them, a mirthful expression as he offered them some mercy. “Tell you what. Anyone who was able to catch up to a Slowpoke at least once gets a pass. Our Champions here really outdid themselves, so it's only fair everyone else gets another chance. Try to make a comeback, everybody!”</p><p>The statement revitalized the students.</p><p>“Ooh, how generous!”</p><p>I heard one sigh and say, “Either way, I'm still out.”</p><p>Mustard waited for the comments to die down before speaking again. “The day's still young, people! What say we do our second trial today?”</p><p>“Yes, Master!”</p><p>“Good response. While I set about preparing for it, enjoy some free time. Meet back here in two hours!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I just wanted to take some time to say thank you, for those of you that are reading this. I know I don't have a frequent update schedule, and life circumstances makes that difficult, much less writing chapters far in advance. I'm not trying to do the whole DLC in one go, but rather work on ideas in small chunks at a time. Right now, that means going through the Three Trials. <br/>I do want to let you know that the only chapters I don't have anything written for in the near future are chapters 8 and maybe chapter 9. But after that I've got up 'til the Kubfu gifting planned out or drafted, I think. And I've got some good stuff written down for future chapters, including one that won't appear for... maybe another ten chapters?</p><p>I hope you continue to enjoy the fic, and thank you for patiently waiting with me through the erratic update schedule.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Rotomdex</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Having cleared the first Trial with ease, Mustard gives the students of the Master Dojo and its guests a few hours before starting the next one. In that time, Sarah decides to update her Pokedex, and meets Hyde, the son of Honey and Mustard. When everyone comes back for lunch, Mustard announces what the next trial is!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mustard announced that there would be a short pause before the second trial. I decided to take the time to look into getting my Pokedex updated. I didn't need it to be upgraded to a full, complete transfer over to a new device-- in fact, I hated that idea. I wanted to update the information in mine with that of Galar's, so that I'd know about any other regional variant Pokemon, like those three Slowpoke from earlier. I was going to need at least that much while we stayed here and trained.</p>
<p>“Do you know if there's any way that I can update my Pokedex while I'm here?” I asked Miss Honey. “Those Slowpoke didn't respond to Pika's Thunderbolt like I expected, and if we're going to be here for a month, I'd like to be able to know more about the local Pokemon.” While I spoke, I dug my Pokedex out of my bag, one that dated over 20 years old. I saw the surprise on Honey's face and let out an annoyed sigh, expecting yet another comment about its age. “I know, I know, it's old, but I've been able to keep it upgraded; the insides are far more up to date and have more memory than the original model did. Honestly, this is just a shell, but it's the same shell that I've had since I started out as a trainer.”</p>
<p>“Why... That's amazing that you've managed to keep it functioning after all this time!” The unexpected praise caused my face to warm up. “I wouldn't know how to upgrade that myself, but if there's anyone on the Isle of Armor that could, it'd be my son Hyde!”</p>
<p>“Hyde?” I tried to think back on everyone that I had met so far. No one introduced themselves with that name, and no one had said anything about being Honey and Mustard's child, either. She must have caught my confused look and nodded, as though remembering something.</p>
<p>“Yes, of course. You haven't had a chance to meet him yet-- he doesn't like to come out of his room often, and prefers to play with his inventions instead. If you go over here...” Honey pointed me towards his room. “...you'll probably find him inside.”</p>
<p>I went down the path she pointed, until I found a nameplate that said “Hyde”. I knocked on the closed door; there was no immediate response. I thought about knocking again when the door opened, and I had to look down to see a small child, maybe around age 8 or 9, looking up at me with an almost condescending face.</p>
<p>“What do you want? I'm kind of busy right now, so make it quick.”</p>
<p>“Oh, um. Uh... I'm looking for Hyde. Do you know where I could find him?” As soon as I said it, I knew that I had asked a dumb question. I had expected someone much older, given Mustard's age. Was Honey just that good at hiding her age, or... I did not want to think about that.</p>
<p>The little boy let out an annoyed sigh.</p>
<p>“Yes, that's me. Geez, why are you even knocking around if you don't know who you're looking for.” He started to close the door, and before I could stop myself, I put my hand on it to keep it from closing.</p>
<p>“Wait! Sorry, I just... Didn't know that you were going to be.... Um....”</p>
<p>“A kid?” He rolled his eyes at me. “Did you need something from me or what?”</p>
<p><em>Rude little shit.</em> He was quickly getting on my nerves. But if his mom thought he could help update my Pokedex...</p>
<p>“Yes, actually, I <em>did</em> need something from you.” I held out my Pokedex. Hyde's grip on the door loosened and he adjusted his glasses to look at the device in my hand.</p>
<p>“What is <em>that</em>?” he asked incredulously.</p>
<p>I let out an annoyed sigh.</p>
<p>“It's my Pokedex.”</p>
<p>“I've never seen a Pokedex like that.” He motioned if he could take it, and I handed it over. He looked it over, opening it to look at the screen that had been replaced more than three times over the years.</p>
<p>I was attached to the old model of Pokedex. I felt bad when I had to scrape the insides out in order for someone to build a new computer inside of it, when times changed and technology improved far more than it could keep up. When information began to take up too much space, I paid someone to change its storage capacity, along with everything else. I had invested so much into it. Time. Money. Emotions. Experiences. It was my pride and joy as a trainer, having that model; where others had upgraded as soon as they could, I still clung to it, glad to relive memories that were forever etched into the casing. It wasn't just about the data-- data could be saved, duplicated, and moved. It was about the attachment, the memories it held for me. And upgrading to a new shell meant that I wouldn't have that connection to those old days anymore.</p>
<p>“It's a little bit older than you,” I said after a few moments of letting him look.</p>
<p>“Looks older than my dad.”</p>
<p>I could hear a snort of laughter from behind me, and I turned around, seeing Lance standing there, trying not to laugh. I crossed my arms, frowning at him.</p>
<p>“I'm sorry; I came to look for you, and--” he began.</p>
<p>“You're in no position to talk, mister 'listens to music from the 1800s',” I scoffed.</p>
<p>“1900s. And that's not even that old!”</p>
<p>“It may as well be the 1800s, old as your soul is!”</p>
<p>“Can you two stop your married bickering?” Hyde interjected. The small child looked annoyed: he was tapping his foot, arms across his chest, waiting for his presence to be noticed again. “I want to get back to work on important stuff; I don't have time for your old people nonsense.”</p>
<p>I couldn't tell whether I should have laughed or been appalled at that comment, while Lance seemed amused.</p>
<p>“Is this... is this how you treat people who want to ask you for favors?”</p>
<p>“You came to me; I don't see why I have to help you.”</p>
<p>I puffed out my cheeks, trying to hold back any rude comments. Kid or not, I wasn't above telling them off. But he was the master's kid, <em>and</em> my husband was there now, too...</p>
<p>“What's going on?” Lance asked.</p>
<p>“I asked Honey if she knew where I could get my Pokedex updated, and she suggested that I ask her son.” I jerked my head in the direction of Hyde. “But I'm starting to think that this was a waste of my time.”</p>
<p>“Look, I don't know how to update something that old. But I can give you a Rotomdex for you to use. I feel a little bad giving it away since my mom got it for me to use next year, but I'm not interested in doing the Gym Challenge. You want it or not?”</p>
<p>“Not particularly.”</p>
<p>“A Rotomdex would make it a lot easier to get around here,” Hyde began saying, as he continued to look over my ancient device to understand it. “They have maps, camera function, voice-based communications, and they're controlled by a Rotom, who are able to talk by using the installed voice libraries. And it's lot quicker for me than trying to figure out how this thing works.”</p>
<p>I thought about it. A Rotomdex sounded interesting, for sure, but the thought of using it felt off. It would be too different from what I was used to. Like I'd have to give up using my old Pokedex because of the new one.</p>
<p>“You'd just need a Rotom to put into the device. Trust me, out here you'll want a Rotomdex for the map system. It'll help guide you around the Isle and provide you with information on the area. It's really easy to get lost here.”</p>
<p>“Yeah... I won't need that. I've never gotten lost. I have a pretty damn good internal GPS; I can intuitively find my way to the place I need to be.” It wasn't even some sort of sixth sense developed over years of travel; I had always known the quickest way out of a route, cave, or forest. Even a trip to the distortion world in my younger years was disorienting at best, but I hardly got lost while in it. Still was not on my list of favorite places to go.</p>
<p>“That doesn't happen around here. Lots of overconfident trainers think that they don't need to use a map, and then they wind up getting themselves lost, especially in the forest. We usually have to wind up sending out a search party, like we did with you when you got here.”</p>
<p>“Excuse you, we were not lost!” I crossed my arms and huffed. “We were misinformed on how to meetup.”</p>
<p>Hyde handed back my Pokedex. It seemed that he was done with me if I wasn't going to take the offer for a Rotomdex. There was a quiet pause as we waited for the other to speak.</p>
<p>“If you're done here...”</p>
<p>“Ugh, fine, I'll take the d—stupid Pokedex.”</p>
<p>“It's a <em>Rotom</em>dex,” he corrected. Hyde opened the door to his bedroom all the way and invited both my husband and I inside.</p>
<p>It looked more like a workshop than a bedroom. There were many computers, all sorts of machinery scattered about. Cables were bundled up together, but that didn't stop the few spare ones creating tangles across the floor. There were boxes around the room used to house different components he kept.</p>
<p>“Sorry about the mess. Mom's always telling me to clean up, but I don't see the point if I don't usually have people over.”</p>
<p>Hyde went over to a cabinet in the corner and began to rifle through its drawers, trying to find something.</p>
<p>“Right...” That felt familiar to me. I was the same way when I was a kid, though I certainly didn't have the vast array of mechanical and computational skill as he did. I looked around and noticed something that was near his computer; it looked like a machine that he was working on, blue in color, and shaped like some sort of bird that I wasn't familiar with.</p>
<p>“What're you working on over there?” I asked, both curious and trying to be friendly with the kid. He was giving me a free Pokedex, after all.</p>
<p>“Oh that? That's my Cram-o-Matic. It's the invention of the century! It's my very own brilliant take on recycling. But it doesn't do a thing right now, since it's out of power. If I just had enough Watts...” He paused. “Hey, actually--! I can give you this Rotomdex if you can do a favor for me!”</p>
<p>I knew there was gonna be a catch. I sighed.</p>
<p>“Sure kid. I can try; what do you want?”</p>
<p>“Watts. All it would take is a measly 500 Watts to get the Cram-o-matic up and running!”</p>
<p>“Watts?” I looked at Lance, and he shrugged. He didn't seem to know what it was either.</p>
<p>“The two of you don't know?! Watts are the energy that you can get from the Pokemon Dens in the Wild Areas. Your Dynamax bands can absorb it whenever you're near one, and then we can transfer that energy into the machine or a battery with a cable!”</p>
<p>I looked at Lance; he was the only one between the two of us that had a Dynamax band.</p>
<p>“We don't have any right now, but would it be possible to pay you back later?” he asked.</p>
<p>Hyde tapped his foot against the ground as he thought about it.</p>
<p>“What are your names again?”</p>
<p>“I'm Sarah, and this is my husband Lance.”</p>
<p>“You're the Champions that my parents invited over for training, right?”</p>
<p>“That's right.”</p>
<p>“You guys are probably more the outdoors type, huh? Well, I'll <em>loan</em> this Rotomdex to you for now, Sarah, so long as you guys promise to pay me when you get the watts. Then it's all yours.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, that doesn't sound like an issue for me. Though, it might be a little bit before we get any. That okay with you, Hyde?”</p>
<p>He began to dig into the drawer again, and finally pulled out a flat, red device, about as wide as the Switch I had packed in my bag. He waved it at me. “No problem. Well, let me know when you've got a Rotom to put into here, and I'll help set you up.”</p>
<p>“If you guys had a PC, I could get that done right now.”</p>
<p>The kid lit up, as though proud to lord this incoming fact over me.</p>
<p>“It just got delivered this morning, while you guys were out doing dad's first trial! I watched the guy set it up.”</p>
<p>Hyde showed me to where the dojo's PC was. I connected to my account and withdrew a Rotom-- one that I had caught back in Sinnoh many, many years ago. It zipped around excitedly when I let it out, like an old friend who hadn't seen me in a long time. I directed it into the Pokedex. The screen lit up a light blue, and two large blue eyes, much like a Rotom's, appeared on the screen.</p>
<p>“Hi? Hello? Hello! It is I, your trusty Rotom, Plasmastar! So good to see you again, Sarah!” The Rotomdex floated around; not nearly as fast as the zippy Ghost-type Pokemon typically was. But it seemed overjoyed nevertheless with its new home.</p>
<p>Hyde grabbed the Pokedex, causing the Rotom inside to give a startled cry. “If you don't mind, I'll help talk your Rotom through proper installation, so it's familiar with how to use all of its components. It'll take at least an hour though.”</p>
<p>“An hour?!” shouted my Rotom, and it tried to pull itself away from Hyde's grip. “I don't have time for that! Please, please, don't leave me with him!”</p>
<p>“Sorry Plasmastar. But please bear with it, so you can help us. I heard you'll be able to read the map really well and be super helpful to us, if you do!”</p>
<p>It stopped tugging. “Super helpful? Say no more, I am glad to be of service!” I'm not sure what it was trying to do at that moment, but there was a flash that went off, temporarily blinding Hyde.</p>
<p>“Oops! Sorry about that, small human! I'll listen, but you better make it quicker than an hour! I want to go explore with Sarah again!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lance and I went outside to look around the dojo. Pokemon played in the grass; the groups of Jigglypuff and Buneary from yesterday saw us and ran up, excited to see us again. I reached into my bag and let out the two that I had caught so they could see their friends.</p>
<p>“Ellie, Bunbun! C'mon out!”</p>
<p>The Jigglypuff and Buneary appeared. They looked around while their friends stood in awe for a moment, before clamoring all around them excitedly. Ellie puffed herself up with pride, and began to tell her audience about her battle. She mimed out what happened, eventually getting Bunbun to play the Mienfoo. Though Bunbun was reluctant, she eventually joined in. She got so into it that she was suddenly going off script, including a lowkick when Ellie was supposed to dodge another punch, causing Ellie to bounce into the ground. Angry, the Jigglypuff began to yell at the Buneary, while the other turned around and stuck up her nose. Their audience didn't know what to do at this point, so they wandered away, going back to playing in the grass.</p>
<p>As amusing as it was, it wouldn't do me any good if my two newest members were fighting amongst each other. I walked over and pushed them apart.</p>
<p>“C'mon guys. Bunbun, apologize to Ellie; and Ellie, calm down. You asked her to do something she didn't want to do anyways. This is a consequence of that.”</p>
<p>Ellie huffed and turned away, crossing her arms while Bunbun continued to do so. I sighed.</p>
<p>“Please? If the two of you make up, I'll give you each a treat.”</p>
<p>At the promise of a treat, the two of them looked at me, before turning around and looking at each other. Bunbun smiled and apologized, and Ellie smiled and puffed herself up, as though proclaiming that she was in the right anyways. Bunbun looked away, pretending not to be annoyed by the display. Both of them looked at me, holding out their hands expectantly.</p>
<p>“Hey-- wait, I never said I was going to give you a treat right away! They're back in the Dojo; you'll have to wait 'til later for one.”</p>
<p>Both of them gave me an angry look and turned away from me, arms crossed. Well, at least they were in unison on that.</p>
<p>“Eheh.... Alright, how about the two of you c'mon back.” I held up my Pokeballs and they both went back inside.</p>
<p>“Trouble with your new friends?” Lance asked. He had let Zweilous out while Ellie and Bunbun entertained their audience, and the two-headed dragon was biting onto sleeve of his uniform.</p>
<p>“Nothing that I'm not used to.” I motioned to Zweilous. “On the other hand, I think I should be asking <em>you</em> that, except I know that's just how Zwei is. Did he break through the fabric already?”</p>
<p>Lance laughed and pet both of their heads in sequence, causing each one to finally let go of the loose fabric. He brought up his arm, looking at the sleeve. “No, not yet. He's just hungry. We should go back inside and get something to eat for lunch.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Everyone had gathered in the dining room once more, with plates and bowls left out in the Dojo's main hall for our Pokemon. Zweilous ran over to the nearest bowl, both of his heads fighting over bites. Pika ran up to the bowl next to him. We let out the rest of our Pokemon, leaving them to eat while we headed towards a spot at the table where we could sit next to each other.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Ms. Honey!” everyone said before digging in. Chatter filled the dining room between bites, and everyone felt so warm and welcoming. No one seemed to begrudge us for having defeated all three Slowpokes, including those who never even got to catch up to one. In fact, many were excitedly speculating about what the next trial might be. I looked around the table, wondering if Hyde had joined everyone, or if he had missed the call to lunch. I couldn't see him. The din of the dining room began to lower as everyone filled up on the food made by Ms. Honey and the students who helped with meal prep. The final peals of laughter and conversation were silenced when Mustard stood up and addressed everyone.</p>
<p>“A-hem. I'd like to congratulate everyone who did their best this morning with the first trial. To those of you that weren't able to pass—may you have better luck next time. Take this time to train up! For those of you moving on to the second trial, I will take the time to explain what your next trial is. Now that you're all energized from lunch--” Mustard paused mid-thought, as though something came to mind.</p>
<p>“I think our second trial should be something to welcome them with. You know what would sound good for dinner tonight? The Master Dojo's secret recipe: Max Soup! Since we have two special guests, I'd love for them to have a bowl of Max Soup full of Max Mushrooms for tonight. And that's why your second trial shall be mushroom picking!” A collective, confused reaction, interspersed with some groans, went out among the students. I blinked, confused myself. How was gathering dinner ingredients supposed to be a trial? If anything, it sounded much easier than the first. Someone whispered to another student that they were glad they hadn't passed.</p>
<p>“Students!” The dining room quieted once more at Mustard's raised voice. “That's better. In case you forgot, or you aren't aware, Max Mushrooms are the key to Gigantamaxing, and I'm tasking all of you with finding three!”</p>
<p>Honey stood next to Mustard, explaining what we were looking for. “Max Mushrooms are red with a spiral pattern. You can usually find them in dark, humid places, such as the forest or Warm-Up Tunnel.”</p>
<p>Mustard, “And with that, your next trial begins! I'm countin' on ya!”</p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's been in proofreading-stasis hell for awhile because of how much I got stuck on six and seven. The next few chapters are going to be a bit longer than expected! Chapter 8 is so long that I've had to split it into another, but I'm excited for all of you to see it!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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